The Chosen
by yvj
Summary: Ron's life has been heading in the right direction. He's engaged to Kim and things are going smoothly, until he is called to decide on the fate of humanity. A choice of Immortality or love all reviews taken.
1. The decision

Alright before I start, the prologue doesn't feature Kim and Ron but it sets up the plot, so don't give up after the first chapter.

Read and review, of course. In fact if the story brings any thing to your mind post that, positive or negative it doesn't matter.

* * *

_Prologue: _

_E.Din 19 years ago:_

_The landscape radiated with tranquility and joy, the sea-like rolling meadow and the animals it contained seemed to live together in perfect equality, united by an unseen bond of unlimited love. The meadow composed of two very fertile valleys, the soil underneath the grass is loamy and produced forever ripe fruits, grains and vegetables. A cool breeze wafted through the land; it sent chills through the body of any living thing that happened to cross its path. The scenery is varied and picturesque, a beauty that the greatest artists on Earth couldn't capture in a hundred years._

_A smooth brick road was the only disruption of this perfect environment. On this very road traveled a man and a young woman. The man shone with a glowing light that would have blinded a normal person, but his companion seemed unfazed. He appeared to be gliding across the floor as large white feathers batted back in forth behind him. He wore clothes that at first glance looked too made from the finest silk, but it was all white from his shoulders to his toes. He had long brown down to his waist, and a smile as large as a chasm appeared on his face._

"_Tis a beautiful day, of course even when it rains, it is a beautiful day here" he spoke with regal splendor._

"_Yes it is" the woman replied._

_She wore very modest clothing, a pair of jeans and a black T shirt that matched her hair color; she looked to be of Native American decent._

"_If it's alright to ask, where exactly are we headed?" She asked while taking in the beauty of the land; even the road seemed to mold to her feet._

"_Lulu feel free to ask of me an questions, after all it wasn't that long ago since I choose you as an assistant" he said quietly trying his best to put forth a friendly demeanor._

"_And please you may address me as Sargon."_

"_Yes Sargon I've been wondering about that, why did you choose me to become your assistant any way?"_

"_Well Lulu I've been watching you on Earth for awhile, you were a very inquisitive person since you began to crawl, always in the pursuit of greater knowledge. You were fascinated by people and studied constantly to find the answers of why humans existed and what purpose they served."_

"_Unfortunately your life was filled loneliness."_

"_Yeah it was just me and my brain until the very end" she said solemnly remembering the terms of her death._

"_A very tragic and early end to a lonely life, but even though most souls usually break away from their past lives, in fact from the Earth in general and concentrate on their afterlife. I knew that someone like you wouldn't enjoy that. By becoming my assistant you can have an eternity to watch man live and evolve. You don't have to accept this offer though; it's up to you to decide."_

"_I think that's the best job offer I've ever had in my life, well afterlife now I guess," she said excitedly._

"_I assumed that would be your answer," he said with a gleam in his eye._

"_So if you don't mind me asking are you some sort of angel?"_

"_We yes you could say that, although I wasn't always an angel, I used to be a human living on Earth such as yourself. But I was "promoted" by special circumstances." He whispered to her._

"_Special circumstances?"_

"_It's a long story; I don't think right now, is the right time to explain but believe me, humans don't usually become angels in this form."_

"_Hey what's with the secrets I thought I was here to learn," she said stopping in the middle of the road. _"_Ok if you're going to keep things from me; we might well end this thing right now," she yelled at him._

_He put his hands up defensively a shocked look upon his face._

"_Look the reason I'm not talking is because it's a personal matter, you can ask me anything else" he told her as he backed away._

"_Is that so" she said while studying his face "alright but you better fess up soon."_

"_I assure you, you will learn all in due time" he told her while sighing._

"_You know most people wouldn't talk to an angel like that."_

"_Well I'm not most people" she said; the arrogance in her voice could be heard clearly. _"_So what do angels do anyway?"_

"_Well I'm glad you ask. Angels were created by the One. Creating the Universe is no easy task so after awhile the One decided to rest. But before this long rest he created Angels as his helpers. They were created for a specific purpose and they, unlike man, cannot die from natural causes. Additionally they aren't allowed to directly intervene in the lives of man. Finally like man they have self will, but have much more rules to follow."_

"_That's amazing" replied Lulu the gears in her head turned at maximum speed._

"_We are stronger than man but we are not completely omnipotent, there are ways of blocking oneself from our watchful eyes. We are wiser than man but not omniscient nor are we omnipresent. Only the One holds such power. Although Angels are capable of making mistakes and can cause the world of man much harm. Anyway, after the first humans were cast out of E.Din and the subsequent removal of The Fallen, the One decided to rest, which led to the creation of a type of government to rule over man an angel."_

"_Who are these Fallen, are they angels too?" Lulu asked although she was still in shock over what she was being told._

"_I am not in liberty to discuss The Fallen with you in detail" Sargon quickly fired back. Don't ask for anymore info about them, it is a forbidden topic unless you're Seraphim. I know I said you could ask about anything, but my hands are tied on this issue."_

"_Seraphim?"_

"_The highest class of angel whose powers are the closest to that of the One. Only Seraphim are allowed to be in the Mala'-i A'la."_

"_Mala'-i A'la that if I remember correctly, means the highest council" Lulu said surprised she could recall all of the facts she had learned while she was alive._

"_Well, we are quite educated aren't we" remarked Sargon very much pleased with his assistant._

_She puffed up her chest proudly "well I did study twenty different languages, and aced all of my dead language courses in college too."_

"_I see" Sargon said slightly amused._

"_So you are Seraphim huh?" _

"_Yes, in fact we are headed to a meeting between other Seraphim right now."_

"_Are you serious, I'm going to meet more of you guys?"_

_She looked down at her clothes they didn't seem to be proper attire for meeting such individuals._

"_I wish I had better clothing on though" she said._

"_Really but weren't those the clothes you felt the most comfortable wearing on Earth?"_

"_Yeah but I wasn't expecting to ever meet the rulers of the universe on Earth."_

_Sargon began to laugh out loud, "believe me most of them won't care about your attire."_

"_Most of them?"_

_Sargon sighed "yes in all groups there will be bad apples, even among angels there is arrogance."_

"_Well I've dealt with that kind before" she replied as they approached the base of a hill._

"_Over this hill is the meeting place" stated Sargon but now a concerned expression masked his face._

"_What's wrong with you, a few seconds ago you were as giddy as a schoolgirl at an Usher concert" she joked._

"_Usher; that name doesn't ring a bell, who is this Usher?"_

"_You don't know who Usher is, how closely are you watching the Earth? He's a famous musician."_

"_Musician ah, well I don't know about Usher; but I do manage to peek in on a Rolling Stones concert every now and then," he said._

"_Figures, that band is probably as old as you are" she teased "so what's the problem?"_

"_Well these meetings are usually scheduled decades in advance, we don't have spontaneous meetings like this," he spoke quietly once again lost in his own thoughts as they climbed the hill._

"_So when, was the next meeting supposed to be?" Lulu asked, curious to see what was affecting her new boss._

"_We weren't supposed to meet for about twenty years."_

_Before she could reply Lulu was struck with amazement by the sight in the distance. A couple of yards in front of then stood a magnificent building that was reminiscent of a Cathedral. The rafters were covered with precious metals; the building was roofed with glowing statues representing what Lulu could only assume to be the various saints from the Earth._

"_I've never seen anything so awe inspiring" she told Sargon but he was still lost in thought._

"_Emergency meetings only mean trouble," he said to himself as they began their approach._

_They entered a vast hall that contained five hundred and forty doors, each decorated with colorful decorations. As they walked deeper into the hall, they spotted a table where dozens of other angels dressed exactly like Sargon waited in their seats. All of their eyes were positioned on the small podium that stood before them._

"_Now the more powerful the angel, the closer he is to that podium---"Sargon whispered to Lulu as they approached the table._

"_How can an angel become more powerful?" She interrupted. _

"_Remember when I told you that angels could not "directly" intervene with humans. Well we Sepharim have been given the permission to create religions to inspire the masses in worship of the One and to avoid wiping each other out as man tends to attempt regularly. _

"_You can create religions"?_

"_Yes we do so; what the Great One wants from humans above all else is that they live together in harmony."_

"_Good luck with that plan" she smirked_

"_Yes it is a difficult task indeed, but through if you notice all true religions send out the message of goodwill towards men. Through this system and some miracles sprinkled here and there we deliver the One's wishes. Anyway the point is, the more followers a religion has the more influence the Seraphim have over humans._

"_I never would have guessed," she replied._

"_Sargon you dog has long has it been" shouted a chubby looking angel from across the room._

"_Enki my good friend it's been much too long" Sargon called out to him cheerfully as he walked to the end of the table._

_Enki practically sat at the head of the table, he was one of the oldest Sepharim members and was well known for his vast patience through any problem._

"_Enki this is my new assistant Lulu" Sargon said pulling her towards him._

_Enki noticed that Lulu was slightly nervous, he began to laugh his whole body quivering like Jell-O._

"_Girl haven't you been through death? I shouldn't have you scared, don't worry you'll get used to the tense atmosphere at these meetings, soon enough."_

"_Late as usual Sargon" a gruff voice interrupted them._

_Sargon located the sound as that of an ill tempered blond haired and blue eyed angel sitting directly across from Enki._

"_Azariel still as tumultuous as ever I see" responded Sargon._

"_You know I never believed you belong in our midst, why don't you just take your seat." Azariel pointed to the other end of table an obvious shot to the low ranking Sargon had in the group._

"_We'll talk later Enki" Sargon said as he gave Azariel a hateful look. Then he began to walk back down to his seat._

"_Who was that jerk" Lulu asked over the chattering of the other angels._

"_He is one of the bad apples I spoke to you about, but he is still my superior so I have no right to challenge his authority."_

_Sargon took his seat "I'm sorry but assistants have to stand behind us during the meeting."_

"_That's no problem I'm just glad I'm here" she said as he took a sip from a glass cup that was placed before him._

"_Whoa hold on, angels eat and drink?" She asked, surprised._

"_Well we don't have to, but we do still have a sense of taste and every once in awhile I like to enjoy a glass of wine."_

"_My mom used to say the same thing, and then I had to wake her up from the bathtub every morning."_

_Suddenly there was a loud banging from the center of the table, an angel stood up to talk. The angel was known as Enlil._

"_Enough of this useless chattering we've been called here twenty years early with no info, does anyone here know why the chancellor has called us?"_

_There was a low grumbling as each angel turned to the other and denied knowing any information._

_Azariel stood up "I believe I know why. I was waiting to bring this up again at the next meeting but obviously the chancellor and I are in the same line of thinking."_

"_And what are you and the chancellor thinking?" A fellow angel called out._

"_Obviously he has called us here to decide once and for all, what is to be done with the humans," Azariel stated._

"_Here we go again every meeting, it is always the same topic with this guy" mumbled Sargon._

_Azariel continued "you all know that the humans have fallen completely from the grace bestowed upon them by the One, as their technology advances so do their evil."_

_Sargon quickly got up to his feet "and what would you suggest we do with them" he yelled out._

"_I say we wipe most of them out now and start over, the biggest mistake we've made is that we allowed too many to survive our last purge."_

_Sargon became appalled when he heard some of the other angels agreeing with Azariel._

"_And who has given you the authority to make such claims" he called out to Azariel._

"_Why the authority given to me by the One of course" He turned to the other angels now an envious tone in his voice with a tinge of anger._

"_Why should they be offered redemption from the creator, murderers, savages, no other creature is more loved by the One than humans are, and what do they do? They spit in his face."_

_Sargon rushed over to stand face to face with Azariel "but they were created by the One are you saying that he has made a mistake?"_

"_I say no such thing; he has given them his grace and they defile it, are we supposed to let this stand."_

"_But we have sent them advanced souls they call prophets to aid them, they have done some good" replied Enki._

"_More people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, my friends, that is true perversion of the love that he has given them" snapped Azariel who was now heated._

"_How could you suggest such things" cried Sargon. "And what of your followers, how much good have they done for their fellow man"_

"_I have enlightened my followers with the truth, they know of their true nature of humans and they do their best to find a solution to combat this evil."_

"_I see them do nothing but spread fear and violence," Sargon said through his teeth._

_Ignoring Sargon completely, Azariel continued "we need not destroy them all, but we most annihilate most of them again, only through pain and fear do they turn towards the Great One. When their cities burn and they live in horror do they truly change for the better, only when there is tragedy do they see one and other as equals."_

_Some more angels around Sargon began to nod in agreement._

"_Through pain they will seek salvation, those that survive will be once again worthy of his love. We must act now before their evil spreads further," Azariel shouts so all the angels can hear._

"_You cannot blame them; they were given free will" yelled Sargon who was losing his temper._

"_Yes but you of all people should know that that they are capable of despicable acts, you who used to live among them. Free will is a privilege and they abuse it."_

"_Yes but I also know of the good humans can do. I've seen good men with my own eyes and I continue to see them today."_

"_The few good you speak of are hardly enough to protect the rest," Azariel snapped back._

"_You are generalizing the whole human race."_

"_Who are they to deserve such love, they are not worthy of his grace," screamed Azariel who had now lost all control._

"_Your tone is filled with envy, a very human emotion" smiled Sargon._

_Azariel in a fit of rage reached across the table and grabbed Sargon by the neck "How dare you compare me to those apes. As far as angels go you are but a child; from now on you shall speak to me with the respect your superior deserves."_

"_Azariel you words are boarder lining the ideals of The Fallen; let go of Sargon at once" bellowed Enki._

_At the sound of these words Azariel relaxed and released Sargon._

"_I'm sorry; I'm just tired of seeing the humans defile his grace."_

"_Sargon please take your seat" said Enki._

_Sargon walked back down to his seat not caring about the eyes of his fellow angels that were glued to him._

"_I'm proud of you" said Lulu as he sat back down._

"_Well Azariel" continues Enki "we all know of your plans; but the twelve eldest of us have voted on this subject countless time before. You know that unless you get the majority you cannot win, six of us including the chancellor voted against you centuries ago and you were told you were not allowed to bring this up again until the next scheduled meeting."_

_Abruptly the chancellor walked into the room, he looked old even in terms of angels. He had long white hair that covered most of his body. He walked over to the podium and cleared his throat._

"_First of all I would like to apologize for keeping you all waiting, but I have come to a decision that I feel would be in your best interest to learn now."_

_A hush came over the angels as he spoke, all of them were eager to hear the explanation._

"_I have grown weary of my chancellor duties of watching over the Earth and my fellow angels, so I have decided to step down and retire."_

_A collective gasp was released by the crowd as all the angels stared in shock. The chancellor was the wisest and oldest of them all._

"_What does he mean he's retiring?" Lulu asked._

"_It means that he will relinquish all of his Sepharim powers and become a normal angel" stuttered Sargon his mind racing._

"_The next meeting will be my last" continued the chancellor through the confusion._

"_But what about the vote?" cried an angel._

"_I will let my successor vote in my place" the chancellor replied._

"_Which angel will it be Sir" Enki inquired._

"_It will not be an angel, my successor will be human" the chancellor smiled._

_This sent out more outcries across the crowd._

"_You cannot possibly want a human to take your holy place, please be reasonable" cried Azariel._

"_Well now, I think that the last time a human was chosen to replace an angel it worked out for the best" the chancellor stated as he looked in Sargon's direction._

"_Today two humans have been conceived, they will live their lives without any interference from any angels. One year before the meeting they will be told of their objectives. Then they will go through the trials as stated in our code of laws. The surviving human will take my place and through his life experiences with other humans he will cast his vote."_

"_So you're leaving this to fate" yelled out Sargon._

"_Yes I am" replied the chancellor nonchalantly._

_Sargon looked towards Azariel and saw him deep in thought, Sargon knew immediately he was up to no good._

"_Well this meeting is dismissed I will see you all in twenty years," once he was finished the chancellor began to move away from the stunned crowd._

"_Chancellor wait" called Sargon as he ran towards him "do you know what you have done, what if the human chooses wrong."_

"_There is no wrong answer in this matter, I felt it would be better if a human was able to have a say in the vote."_

"_But billions of lives are on the line here, no one should be made to make such a decision"_

"_I'm sorry Sargon I've made my decision," the chancellor replied as he walked away._

_Sargon's shoulders hunched as he watched the chancellor walk away._

"_I've got a feeling a lot of people are in trouble" said Lulu catching up to him._

"_Yes billions of people, come we must find these humans at all cost"._

"_But I thought we weren't supposed to interfere" she told him._

"_I will not interfere directly; but I will try my best to protect them from him"_

_Sargon glanced once again at Azariel who was still seated, a cold look in his eyes and an evil smirk snaked across his face._

"_Come Lulu we must hurry."_


	2. The Pawns

Nineteen years later:

Two men descended down the stairs into the cavernous lair. They wore the finest suits available to them, and because they were twins, they wore different colored, very expensive sun glasses everyday so people could tell them apart. They always wore their best during a business deal; but this was a deal gone sour. The two brothers reached the bottom of the staircase and found themselves in a candle lit arena, in all corners of the room there could be found hooded monks standing up straight against the wall with blank expressions on their face.

"What kind of crazy cult is this Johnny?"

"I don't give a shit Bro as long as they give us our money I don't care what is going on."

The two men spotted their target a lone man sitting in the middle of the room meditating, He looked to be around nineteen going on forty, his face showed his youth but it also told the tale of a man who had seen dozens of battles in his life time. His hair was colored green to match his eyes.

"Hey Jimmy watch me scare the money out of this guy" said the brother with brown glasses.

"Hey you, we've got business to take care of here, we ain't got all day."

The green haired boy opened his eyes and turned towards the men, a look of irritation came over his face as he got up.

He walked over to them silently his eyes never leaving theirs.

The two brothers considered themselves to be very powerful; they weren't used to people looking them straight in the eye.

"Let me ask you ask you something" said Johnny trying his best to sound tough.

"What kind of screwed up religion is this any way?"

"We aren't a religion, in fact to the One atheism must seem like less of an insult to him. We are the chosen few enlightened by the Great Azariel to the truth. The world is beautiful gentleman but it has a disease known as man."

"Well the only thing we worship is the almighty dollar, so don't try and push any of that you can be saved too crap on us" said Johnny as he gives his brother a high five.

Suddenly all of the monks in the room begin to chant in unison:

Judex crederis esse venturus

In die illa tremenda  
Quando caeli movendi sunt

Dies irae, dies illa  
Solvet saeclum in favila  
Quando Judex est venturus  
Confutatis maledictis  
Flammis acribus addictis

The chant echoed throughout the lair, resounding off the walls.

The brothers stepped back in terror.

"What the hell are they saying?" cried Johnny.

The boy closed his eyes as if he was meditating again then he began to speak.

"Our judge we believe shall come

On that terrible day

When the heavens shall be moved

Day of wrath, that day  
Shall consume the world in ashes  
When the Judge is come  
When the damned shall be cast down  
into the searing flames"

When he was done he opened his eyes and once again gazed upon the men who were now noticeably frightened.

"Lets get the money and get the hell out of here bro" whispered Jimmy.

"Right Jimmy right, Um you're Victor right; the leader here if I'm not mistaken".

"Victor is the name only my closest companions are allowed to call me; you can call me Malak the angel of truth."

"Right the angel of truth sure, this guy is whacked" Johnny whispered back to his brother.

"Well Malak we had a contract here, that states for the next couple of years, we would supply your group with the latest weapons, but it seems you've stopped your payments."

Malak turned away from them with an indifferent attitude; he sat back down and returned to his meditation.

"Hey I'm talking here, you arrogant bastard."

"We are no longer in need of your services we have enough power now to move on our own" Malak told them as he continued to meditate.

"But we have a seven year contract, you can't just back out of it" roared Johnny.

"Leave now, tonight is very important to me. I don't need your insignificant chatter in my ear, besides it won't be the same world in one year let alone seven," said Malak callously.

"Yeah well maybe not for you" Jimmy reached into his pockets to pull out his cell phone.

"Alright boys initiate plan 65" he screamed into the phone.

"Now our mercenaries upstairs should be crashing this party any minute now, no one welshes on the Langdon brothers no one," laughed Johnny

Five minutes later there was still no sign of the mercenaries.

Jimmy reached for his phone again.

"Don't bother" said Malak who still had his back turned to them "your men are all dead."

"What the f--" Jimmy looked back at his phone then to Malak "How?"

His brother shrugged pulled out a small pistol from his suit pocket and aimed it at Malak.

"Enough of this shit; give us the money or you're dead."

Malak picked himself off the ground and walked towards them.

"Get back or I'll blow your brains all over this room"

He continued to move towards them.

"You asked for it."

Johnny fired one shot at Malak's head, but he did not fall.

"What the hell?"

Malak opened his palm to reveal the bullet embedded in his bleeding hand the pain seemed to be of no consequence to him, then he continued to move closer towards them.

"Shit"

Johnny fired more shots at him; each bullet was blocked by Malak as he collected them in the palm of his hand. In the blink of an eye while Johnny was trying to reload Malak grabbed him off the ground and held him in the air.

"Hey let my brother go" screamed Jimmy but his cowardice was now coming to light as he backed away.

"So you are weapons dealer; allow me to show you how much pain you have caused over the years."

Malak gazed into Johnny's eyes as if he was hypnotizing him, suddenly Johnny's consciousness was ripped away from him. He felt as though he was being transported to another body. He opened his eyes to find himself on what seemed to be a battlefield.

"What is this, an illusion?"

He asked as a grenade rolled near his feet, it was their company's newest model; crowd control was what he had named it. The grenade erupted near him sending shock waves of pain through his body.

Abruptly he found himself running through the forest, running for his life. Somehow he knew someone was aiming at him. Someone was aiming at him with the new X32 sniper rifle; the one that could nick a fly off a cow's ass from two hundred yards. That's the tagline he had given it. Before he could say a word he felt the bullet plunging into his brain. He awoke a second later strapped to a chair, three men stood in front of him, they were faceless. One of the men carried with him a large object, Johnny recognized it immediately, it was a flamethrower. One of them turned it on too full blast, Johnny screamed as the flames inched closer to his body.

Malak let Johnny's body fall to the ground. The man's body seemed to have aged 40 years, as he quivered screaming on the ground his hair had mysteriously turned white.

"Wha, What did you do to him?" Stammered Jimmy.

"A thousand deaths in less than a minute will do that to a man, I made him feel all of the pain he's caused over the years. A very interesting spell indeed, although it does take a lot out of the spell caster."

"Well fix him, bring him back to normal."

Malak turned to him "okay I will if you offer to take his place."

"What are you crazy?"

"He is your brother right, are you saying you will not risk your life for his?"

Jimmy stared at the body quivering on the ground, he wondered what his brother would have done, and then he made his decision. He ran up the stairs and headed for the exit.

An older monk appeared before Malak "are you sure we should let him go?"

"Yes, let him live with his decision for now, he and all like him will meet their fate soon."

"You have grown wise Malak if only your father could see how you carry on his mission; if only he could see the day you were chosen."

A blank stare went over Malak's face as if he was caught in his own trance; his body fell to the floor.

Middleton U boy's Dorm

Felix lay asleep in his bed; a long day had wiped him out for the night, but if he had stayed up just a little longer he may have seen his roommate soul being ripped from his body as he slept.

"What the heck is going on here?" Ron cried as he was sucked into a swirling glowing vortex, then everything went dark.

Opening his eyes Ron found himself in beautiful meadow.

"Where am I?" he wondered.

"Welcome Stoppable" a voice addressed him from behind.

Ron turned to find himself face to face with the chancellor.

"Whoa dude, don't sneak up on me like that."

"Stoppable you are one of two chosen to become my successor" the old angel continued.

"Successor to what?" Ron looked around him, his eyes exploring his surroundings "Man this the weirdest dream I've had ever, first of all were are the dancing girls"

"In one year if you survive the trials, you shall become as I am an all powerful immortal, which is what it means to become my successor"

"Right immortal sure; so is this dream just going to be about me and you only grandpa, because then you could just wake me up right now."

The angel looked exasperated "listen to me son; this is important, you are no ordinary boy, in fact all of the events in your life have occurred just for this purpose. Being exposed to Tai Shing Pek Quar, studying at the Yamanouchi school, the missions you have been involved with, the people you've met. All of this was necessary for you to come to your decision.

Ron looked at the shining figure "wow that is some heavy stuff, so what is this decision I have to make?"

"You must vote on the survival of your fellow humans."

"Interesting" said Ron his hands on his chin as if he was mulling this over. "Hmmm, I've decided, I don't want to have anything to do with this."

"What?" Exclaimed the angel

"Yeah that seems like too big of a responsibility, I've got to pass on this."

"But this is your destiny Stoppable, your fate."

"Yes thank you I appreciate the thought but I'm not the right man for a job like this, now please point me to the exit. So I can move on to a better dream."

"Stoppable I will be speaking to you periodically as time passes; in our next meeting I will give you your first objective. And remember you cannot run away from this, the wheels have already been set in motion. There are more things at risk here than you can imagine, you must embrace your destiny."

"Maybe your hearing aid isn't working pops, I'm getting married soon and I've got school to finish up. This is not a job I want to get involved with." Ron said walking away from the shining specter.

"I believe you will soon find, that you don't have a choice, this does not only affect you but also the ones you love."

Ron turned around eying the angel suspiciously "and what exactly does that mean?"

"We shall meet again Stoppable" with a wave of the angels hand Ron is plunged back into the dark vortex. He is sent flying through the air at a tremendous speed until he comes crashing back down into his body.

He awoke face down on the floor.

"Ron what happened?" inquired Felix sitting on his bed.

"Nothing just a bad dream I guess" Ron answered as he picked himself up.

Malak quickly rose to his feet.

"Hassan it is done, the time we have waited for will finally be upon us. In one years time I will pass judgment on mankind once and for all."

"Then this also means that the other chosen is now aware of the situation, what do you want us to do?"

Malak looked past Hassan already planning the rest of the year in his head "obviously we must kill him, I must, at all cost be the successor. As long as another candidate is alive he is a danger to our mission."

"I will make sure your paths never cross, Sir," replied Hassan.

Malak looked up at the ceiling, featured there was a huge portrait of the man Malak called father.

"Guide me father so I can be my best, give me the strength to follow through with the will of Azariel."

"Your father would be so proud if he were alive" remarked Hassan.

"Yes I'm sure of it" Malak then noticed the still quivering body on the floor.

"Oh and Hassan please remove this trash from our sacred circle."


	3. It's a wonderful life

The next Morning:

The sounds of grunts filled the room as Felix exited the bathroom; it had been a weird night. He woke up in the middle of the night to find Ron face down on the floor. Ron's body had looked pale; his first thought was that Ron was sick. But from what he was seeing now that thought quickly left his mind.

"Ron what are you doing?"

"78, 79, 80," Ron stopped mid sit up "Oh hey Felix I'm just working out a little."

Felix's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Since when do you exercise in the morning? Then he glanced at their digital clock, "and since when have you ever woken up before eight?"

"85, 86, 87, Felix I have to tell you lately I've had so much energy, I mean tons of energy man. It's like I'm on a 24/7 sugar rush"

Ron stood back up and started doing jumping jacks.

"Aw my little boy is finally going through puberty, it a very awkward stage for teenage boys" Felix said laughing.

"Ha that was so funny" Ron said sarcastically as he started to do push ups, sweat pouring down his body. "Seriously Felix if someone told me I had to go through that phase again, I would jump out of a window and shoot myself on the way down."

"I guess those weren't the happiest moments of your life," Felix laughed as continued to watch Ron do his push ups.

"Felix I was born awkward, puberty just increased it tenfold," Ron said panting as he continued to push his body.

"Jeez dude you're like a machine, how long can you keep this up?"

Ron smiled at his friend "Well lets find out, keep an eye on the clock."

Two hours later.

Felix entered the room to find Ron doing squats.

"Holy-- man are you still at it?" he called out.

Ron looked at him incredulously "Felix when, did you leave the room?"

"About half an hour ago, are you telling me you didn't notice that I left?"

"No, I was so focused on the exercises I didn't notice. How long have I been doing this?"

Felix moved toward the clock "dude it's been over two hours."

"Felix honestly I'm not the least bit tired, I've never felt so alive in my life. Now check this out."

Ron removed his shirt revealing his new six pack abs.

"Wow Ron you're ripped, how long have you been working out?"

Ron looked at him; he couldn't believe what he was about to say but it was the truth.

"Felix I've been working out for three days."

"Three days"? Shouted Felix. "You became that ripped from only three days of working out."

"Yeah."

"Dude that is impossible, you must be using some kind of super steroids."

"I can't believe it either, it's so weird."

"Ron I'm not sure, but there has been something different about you" Felix said as he looked Ron over.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I can't explain it, but it's kind of like you're glowing, if you can make any sense of that."

Ron stared at Felix for awhile processing this information.

"Felix is there something you want to tell me?"

"What?"

"It's okay Felix, I'm your friend I won't judge you."

"Hold on Ron, I think you're getting the wrong idea here."

Ron laughed, "I'm flattered, but I don't play for that team Felix, I'm sorry."

"Alright that's it, forget I said anything."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"That's probably Allen, let him in I'm going to change" Ron told Felix as he headed to the bathroom.

"You mean Allan, your adopt a freshman slave" called out Felix as he headed towards the door.

Seconds later Felix returned followed by a pale, short, and stocky looking boy. Tape was holding his glasses together. He wore a Battle Star Galatica cap, and carried a backpack on his shoulder. His shirt had a sign that read; "Nerds do it like they do complex equations in their heads!"

He pushed his glasses back in place with his index finger "I heard that remark, I would like you to know that I serve Ron proudly he is my mentor."

"Ron is your mentor I think you should check that equation again" replied Felix.

"Ronald is my hero, did I ever tell you how he saved from some savages."

"Oh no, this is like the fifth time" Felix said as he rolled as his eyes, but he knew it was too late to stop the story.

"It was just a few months ago but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was on my way to register for my freshman classes when suddenly a car rolled up near me. It was that jerk Steve Foster and his gang of cronies."

"Yes and Steve had tortured you and your friends throughout high school. And somehow while cruising for chicks his gang spotted you and wanted to reminisce" recounted Felix, he knew the story by heart.

"Exactly, I tried to run but like a pack of wild beasts they pounced on me quickly. Now I was already used to eating mud already, it always surprised me how mud has such a varied taste, depending on the minerals it contained of course. But this was a special day, going to college was always a dream of mine and now my day was being ruined."

"And then came the cavalry" said Felix as he leafed through a T.V guide.

"Out of nowhere" continued Allen "he appeared majestically like Captain Kirk in episode 37, Amok in time."

"Wow it was a good five minutes before we got a Star trek reference out of you," said Felix checking the clock.

"_Hey you guys leave him alone"._ "That's what Ron said as he approached us, not a hint of fear on his face. He came up to them and said "_I don't think you should be doing that"._

"Braver words were never spoken" quipped Felix.

"Then in a fit rage Steve throws a punch at him, and then with The Flash like speed, Ron caught the punch. Then he says _"dude I don't really want to fight so early in the morning, I actually have a date so if you can leave this guy alone I'd appreciate it"_. Acting like the irrational ape he was Steve threw another punch."

"Yes then Ron hit him in the stomach and knocks the guy out, the end" sighed Felix.

"Wait you forgot my favorite part when the other guys saw Steve go down, they ran like a bunch of little girls" Allen began to tear up." After all those beatings it was so refreshing to see them get humiliated for once."

"Just doing my job to protect my fellow man" Ron said when he returned from the bathroom.

"So what's going on?" He asked

"Well Allen here was just recounting the Misadventures of Ron Stoppable again," Felix told him.

"I love that story" said Ron "I think it shows how I can be sensitive and tough at the same time."

Ron grabbed his backpack, woke Rufus up and placed him in his pocket.

"I'll catch you later Felix, me and Allen have some stuff to talk about," Ron told him as they exited the door.

"Let's move Allen"

"Yes Sir" Allen exclaimed.

"I like your enthusiasm dude, but don't call me sir."

"I'll try to keep that in mind Sir." He said moving quickly to catch up with Ron.

As they strolled across the campus grounds, Allen pulled out a roll of papers from his bag.

"Alright give it to me straight how's my baby doing" Ron gulped his hands shaking nervously.

"Well I checked the statistics this morning, and since you posted the Fearless Ferret The Revenge Arc online you've gotten twelve reviews" said Allen reading from the paper.

"Twelve reviews; it's been online for a month, how could it only get twelve reviews" Ron cried out.

"That's what the stats say Sir, and stats don't lie."

"Alright" sighed Ron "break down the reviews for me, and stop calling me sir"

"Well Sir, Ferret Prince 006 said it was a cool story and he can't wait for the next one, Ferret lover69 says OMG this such a cool story, Ferret God said that you are a fairly competent writer but you write too plainly.

"Hi Ron" said a girl who strolled by them.

"Uh yeah hi Nancy; fairly competent writer huh, what a jerk" he said, barely noticing the girl.

"Why is he a jerk?"

"You're a fairly competent writer, who says that? That's a pity review Al, he should have just wrote that the story makes him want to hurl, then at least I'd know he read it."

"Okay Sir, he also said that the ending was a little cheesy."

"Cheesy? Who doesn't like a cheesy ending, I love a cheesy ending, Rufus you like cheese right?"

"Cheese!"

"Allan, what about you?"

"Well Sir I--"

"You see everyone loves cheese, do you know why people read fan fiction it's for fluff and cheesy endings and that's what I give them," roared Ron

"Whatever you say Sir."

"Looking good Ron" said another girl walking past them

"Okay thanks Shirley you too" Ron sighed again "I'm sorry for snapping at you Al, but I put my soul in this. Anyway so how's the competition and stop calling me sir."

"Well FerretGo posted his story today and has since received sixty nine reviews.

"Hey Ron you're looking especially tasty today" said a tall Brunette as they walked past.

"Uh thanks" Ron waved to her.

"Who was that?" Asked Allen

"I have no idea. Sixty nine reviews in one day, how is that possible?"

"The stats don't lie Sir"

"I know what's going on here, they're outcasting the new guy, and just because it's my first fic they're not reviewing my story. Those elitist jerks I'll show them, my next story will blow their minds."

"Actually Sir this was also FerretGo's first fic."

Ron stopped in his tracks "That's even worse."

"How is that worse Sir?"

"How else can someone get sixty nine reviews in one day? He's obviously a professional writer. Yeah he's some old dude with a Pulitzer sitting on his desk, that decided to write fanfics making us average Joe's look like crap. It's a sinister plot, how can anyone sink so low."

"How's it hanging Ron" said another girl who winked at him as she passed by.

"Stop Allen" Ron said "that was like the fifth girl to tell me hi today in less then five minutes, something is up. Stuff like this has only happened to me twice. When I got that poofy haircut and when I was a millionaire."

"Are you serious Sir?"

"What, what is it?"

Allen pulled out small notebook from his pocket and pointed to a bench.

"Let's sit" he said reading from the notebook.

"Now Sir over the past two weeks your popularity with the girls of this campus has spiked by sixty percent."

"You're kidding me right" said Ron amazed at what he was hearing.

"Are you telling me that for the past two weeks, college girls having been throwing themselves at you and you haven't noticed?" Screamed Allen

"Wow; well I have a history of being oblivious to these things," Ron answered looking up towards the sky.

"But what's made me such a hottie, I haven't done anything differently," Ron wondered.

"Well KirK652005 once sent me an email, where he said that ever since he got engaged, girls have been throwing themselves at him. He said something about being able to commit to another girl drove the chicks around him wild."

Ron looked down at his fingers; his ring glinted in the sun. A symbol of the undying love he felt for Kim.

"Are you saying this thing is making me a babe magnet?"

"It seems logical Sir."

Ron dropped to his knees "The attention I've seeked forever, has finally come to me, but only when my heart now belongs to Kim. Oh Fate why are you so cruel."

"Are you done Sir?"

"Hold on".

"WHYYYYYYYYYYY!" he screamed into the air, than sat back on the bench.

"Alright now I'm done."

"So what are you going to do Sir?"

"What can I do, I love Kim so I won't do anything naughty. But that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy the attention."

"Will Kim be ok with this?"

"Oh yeah she's very understanding."

"It must be nice to have someone to be with" signed Allen.

"Don't worry little dude, soon you'll find a girl who likes you for who you are."

"That's easy for you to say, some people can't marry their best friends who had already accepted them years ago."

Ron's right eyebrow rose "whoa was that a shot?"

"Yes it was Sir."

"Holy crap speaking of Kim, I was supposed to meet her for brunch, we're double dating with Monique's new guy today."

"Al we'll chat later I've got to go."

"No prob Sir"

"Stop calling me Sir" Ron yelled as he ran towards the shopping district.

* * *

Yamanouchi 

Master Sensei was tied up, and thrown against the wall. He picked himself and gazed towards his hooded assailant. Who took the opportunity to kick him the face.

"Master Sensei" cried one of his students.

The student broke through his ropes and charged at the offender.

"Stop" Master Sensei screamed at his pupil "now is not the time to fight."

The student stopped in his tracks then he was quickly recaptured be a group of hooded monks.

"That goes for all of you" Master Sensei yelled out to all of the students tied up alongside him in the dojo.

"This group has very powerful members" thought Master Sensei, although he could defeat them, a battle may drag some of his students into the fight. They were not ready to battle such powerful foes head on.

"Yes listen to your master" said the leader. "For once he has made the right decision."

The figure removed his hood revealing his face, although Master Sensei had already known who it was long ago.

"Fukishima san why do you continue to disgrace this school with your evil?" he said.

"Shut up old man, I'm no longer a member of this weak school, you kicked me out remember. But I found a group that has helped me gain incredible powers, and they promise me more if I give them some vital information.

"And what information can that be?"

"Tell me where Stoppable San is old man, or I'll let them burn this school down."


	4. oblivious

Yamanouchi

Master Sensei kept his composure, in situations like this he knew it was best for his students, if he set an example and did not fight back.

"Did you hear me old man, I know you have Stoppable's records, give them to me now or this school will burn", screamed Fukushima his spittle splashing on Sensei's face.

Master Sensei sighed, what Fukushima did not know was that Yamanouchi had been burned before, to protect the same secret he was protecting now. The same group that had seduced Fukushima was the same group that had taken his younger brothers life so many years ago.

_Japan__: 18 years ago_

_Master Sensei looked up to the sun, it wouldn't be long before dusk. He found himself traveling down a familiar path in the forest, a path he known since childhood and he welcomed the nostalgia, the smells of the forest carried. Master Sensei pulled some letters from his pocket. He hadn't seen his brother and the Yamanouchi school in two years. For reasons he did not understand the outside world had been calling to him, and it grew into a thirst he could not quench. He decided to see the world before accepting his role as headmaster of the Yamanouchi school. He would have been continuing his journey had he not received urgent letters from his brother._

**_Dear Jikei (older brother)_**

**_I have made an incredible discovery, the other day during our daily training my students and I were shocked to find a woman make her way into the school. I could tell instantly that she was an American. She was a beautiful looking women, but the minute she stepped foot into the school she dropped to the ground. The students suggested we remove her from the school, but I had this feeling that she was an important to person. She was badly injured; as if she had been through a tremendous battle. Her wounds were very severe; a lesser woman would have died. We've been treating her for the past week, but she hasn't awoken as of yet. But here is the problem, while walking past her room one night, I distinctly heard her mention the Lotus Blade. How could this be possible, you must make your way back home, I will try my best to awaken her._**

_Unfortunately it would be another two weeks, before Master Sensei could retrieve this letter, and when he did two others had followed._

**_Jikei this discovery is far greater then we can imagine. The woman has awoken, and she is a tenkei (oracle). The second she had awoken she has had already known my name and the name of the others. She's revealed that she had been attacked because of her divine powers. She's made her way here because she knew we could protect her from her pursuers, and for our cooperation she's revealed the next master of our sacred treasure. She has forbidden me to tell you any more in this letter, so you must hurry. I have so much to tell, hurry!_**

_The next letter was much more foreboding._

**_Jikei this is the final letter I believe will reach you safely. The students have confirmed that strange men have been moving throughout out our perimeter. The enemy seems to be the same ones that injured the tenkei. I have been preparing the students for battle; we must protect the tenkei at all costs. Even if Yamounchi is put in harms way, the future of the world depends on our victory. Hurry Jikei your skills in battle will be of great use to us._**

_Master Sensei had hurried back to _ _Japan__ the minute he received the letters. Yamounchi was his home and it would be his honor to protect it in battle. He was an old man but he was still a greater fighter then his younger brother. He only hoped the fight had not begun without him. Suddenly there was a large thumping sound ahead of him in the forest, the sound of a body hitting the ground. Master Sensei moved cautiously towards the sound. Nearing his target he found the body of one of Yamanouchi's students leaning on a tree._

"_Jigen san is that you?" He called out as he rushed towards the boy._

_Jigen clutched his side blood gushing from his wound, soaking through his Shinobi Shozuku. He leaned against the tree panting from the pain until he noticed Sensei._

"_Master Sensei is that you?"_

"_Yes Jigen san, what's going on why are you injured?"_

_Tears formed in the boy's eyes he turned them away from Sensei, and rolled them to the ground._

"_I'm sorry Master Sensei, I have disgraced the school."_

"What_, Why?"_

"_I am a coward Master, the enemy they were so strong so powerful, I... I just did not want to do die master. I Ran." He said as tears streamed down his face._

_He clutched his wound again, knowing it was fatal._

"I've_ abandoned my friends, and now I will die in the eyes of my ancestors as a coward."_

_Master Sensei grabbed the boy's hands._

"_The way I see it young one, it was fate that brought you here to me, so you can inform me on the situation, maybe I can save the others._

_The boy's eyes lit up as he felt a large pressure lift off his soul._

"_This morning they demanded that we hand them the tenkei, but we refused. In a matter of minutes their first wave had attacked, we managed to defeat them but we suffered many casualties."_

_The boy took a deep breath as he stared off into the forest, "there was so much blood, and half of the school had been killed."_

_Master Sensei fell to his knees clutching at the dirt beneath him, "how large was the enemies' forces?"_

"_There were only ten of them in the first wave Master."_

"_T...Ten, Ten men killed half of the school?"_

"_Yes master"_

"_And what of my brother?"_

"_Before a second wave could attack he took the remaining elite students to catch them off guard, he returned alone badly injured. That's when they attacked again, and I broke free."_

"_How did you escape from the school?"_

"_Long ago I discovered a secret path from the school, which leads to a hidden cave, even the masters, did not know about it. It can be found to the east."_

_He began to cough up blood, his body began to feel so cold, and his time was almost up._

"_What will you do now master?"_

"_I will use your path to make my way to the school, I'll do me best to try to save as many as I can."_

_Standing up, he looked back at the boy "I should thank you; this wouldn't be possible without your information."_

_The boy smiled "no, thank you master."_

_He closed his eyes "From delusion lead me to the truth, From darkness lead to me light, From death lead me to eternal life. After his prayer he took one last breath and then lay still._

_Master Sensei said a silent prayer in his head and then ran towards the east. _

_Once in the cave he found himself at the edge of a pit, where a rotten wooden ladder descended into the depths. His decent was unusually slow for someone of his quickness; he dropped rung by rung into the depths of the pit. The ladder groaned with ever step, and with each groan a new horrific thought entered the master's mind. If only he had not left, he could have been there to protect the students, what made him want to leave anyway. It was unusual for a Master to just get up and leave their schools. And now he was paying for his selfishness. He felt relieved when his feet hit the spongy earth at last._

_He pushed himself forward, his eyes adjusting to the darkness he stayed close to the walls as he made his way towards a small light at the end of the tunnel. The light shone from the cracks of the wall that blocked his way. He ran his fingers over the smooth wall; abruptly he heard a loud click as the wall slid open._

_Master Sensei stepped out and found himself in the Yamanouchi training hall. The hall was littered with the dead bodies of his students, their blood splattered on the walls, most of their faces twisted in terror. The sight of it all overwhelmed him. Never had he seen such carnage, it was enough to bend his steel will. He had never expected such a terrible spectacle._

_Suddenly he heard footsteps outside of hall's door._

"_Show yourself villain" a voice cried from behind the door, then the door flung open._

"_Master Sensei you've returned" shouted a group of students._

_Master Sensei took his eyes off the bodies on the ground, a looked towards the door where more of his students stood. He had no time to think about the dead, now he had to concentrate on the living. He started at them, eight in all, five boys and three girls._

_They bowed in front of him "Master we have pushed the enemy back out of the school, we will be engaging again them shortly."_

_He stared at them, they looked like they had been fighting for much of the day, and he could tell their young bodies would not hold out much longer._

"_Engage them again? You all are in no position to fight again." _

"_But Master Sensei, Master Shoutei has ordered us to attack them again," one girl said_.

"_But to do that with such enemies will mean certain death" Sensei told them._

"_We are ready to give our lives for the school Master."_

"_What about my brother, will he not fight alongside you, is he using you so he can flee."_

"_No, he has assured us he would join us in battle soon; but we had to stall the enemy until he arrived" said another one of the students._

"_Where is he now?"_

"_He's at the temple master; he had important business to attend too."_

"_Alright I will go to him, you all come with me" he told them as he began to walk past._

"_We're sorry Master but we must complete our mission."_

"_No, as your master I order you to come with me."_

"_We're sorry Master Sensei but Master Shoutei has ordered that our mission to stall the enemy takes precedence over all. We cannot ignore such a mission now." _

"_Even if it means your death?"_

"_Yes Master Sensei."_

_He walked past them knowing that arguing further would be useless._

"_You should be proud my students, you are excellent ninja."_

"_Thank you Master" they said before running towards their fate._

_Master Sensei headed in the opposite direction, he tried to recall when the school was ever in so much danger._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx_

_He pushed though the temple door to find his brother tossing papers into a fire._

"_Anki."_

"_Jikei you have returned, fate smiles upon us," his brother said as they embraced._

"_What are you doing, burning these papers?"_

"_I made the mistake of recording my conversations with the tenkei, now I must destroy them all."_

_Master Sensei looked around the room and then noticed a women lying on the floor apparently dead._

"_Is that her, why would they kill her I thought they wanted her alive?" said Master Sensei_

_His brother looked at the body, she was not killed by them, "she's ingested hemlock which I have given her."_

"_But why; so many have died to protect her."_

_His eyes fell to the floor "I know but the school has fallen anki, the information she has cannot fall into there hands."_

"_What information?"_

"_Brother the one, who shall wield the Lotus Blade, will use it to become a savior of mankind."_

"_What are you saying?"_

"_The tenkei; she foretold that the master who will receive the Lotus Blade is one who is blessed by the heavens, he's too come to train at this very school and use the blade to deliver the world from darkness. But there are those who seek to taint his heart, they wanted her because she knows who he is, she knows the chosen's name."_

_Master Sensei was shocked too the core by this revelation, he stood in front of his brother speechless._

"_Who is it?"_

"_He's an American a boy named Ro--."_

_There came a large explosion that rocked the school._

_Shoutei turned away frantically grabbing the rest of the papers and a glass chest containing The Lotus Blade._

"_Brother how did you get into the school?"_

"_There was a secret passageway in the training hall that leads to the outside"_

"_Good" he said pulling at Master Sensei's arm we must hurry there._

"_It's good to see you again brother" said Shoutei._

_Master Sensei said nothing as ran alongside his brother his mind clouded with the information he had just received._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_They reached the training hall in a matter of minutes; Master Sensei showed his brother the entrance to the cave._

"_We'll talk after we've escaped" he told Shoutei._

"_I'm sorry Jikei, I cannot go with you this time."_

_Master Sensei looked at his brother as if he was insane "and why not?"_

"_I promised the students that I would join them not only in battle but also in death, as they have done, I will also fight to my last breath."_

_Master Sensei backed away from the cave entrance "then I will join you."_

"_No brother you must not, rebuild the school for the chosen, you are the only one worthy to train him to use the blade"_

"_But--"_

"_There must be a Yamanouchi for the chosen to train at. Beside the enemy has already seen me, so they will hunt me down anyway, but they don't know about you." _

"_Yes but--"_

_I know the school will flourish once again under your watch, My time with Yamanouchi is over but yours will be the greatest."_

_Master Sensei wiped the tears from his eyes._

"_It's a shame to have a younger... brother, show much more wisdom than the older one."_

"_Well the younger one had an excellent teacher." He handed the glass chest and papers to Master Sensei._

"_Teach him well anki, farewell."_

_Master Sensei hands explored the sides of the entrance and with a soft click the walls closed in front of him, just as the doors behind his brother burst open. Master Sensei watched through the cracks as a group of men clambered through the door._

_Remembering his travels in the _ _British isles__ the man seemed to dress like those the people there had called druids. They wore brown hooded robes to cover their bodies and face. The initial group moved to the sides as a large man arrived from behind them. He appeared to be the same age as Master Sensei but was in better shape. He had the darkest eyes the Sensei had ever seen, and they showed nothing but contempt. His beard was as white as snow and the same could be said for his hair and eyebrows._

_He looked around the hall "I must give credit to this school you've lasted longer than most, from sun up to sun down actually, and you've managed to kill twenty of my men. Rather impressive indeed."_

_He stared at Shoutei with his cold dark eyes; but you are the last one, "surrender, hand me the oracle, and you may live."_

"_I'm sorry but I choose death" Shoutei pulled a small flower out from his pocket and popped it into his mouth._

"_And don't expect to get any information from me, this plant insures that in a few minutes, I will leave this world, taking my knowledge with me."_

_The man frowned "if that is the case I will make sure your departure is painful."_

_Before Shoutei could react, the man stood next to him._

"_Impressive speed for an old man eh" _

_He sent his elbow into the Shoutei's face, sending him crashing into the blood soaked walls._

_It took all of his will to keep Sensei from leaping from his hiding place. His breath quickened as the man walked towards his brother._

"_Like you, I've trained my whole life in the combative arts, but I trained for a higher purpose."_

_Master Shoutei stood up, blood flowing from his nostrils and lips, he threw a punch at the old man who caught his hand. With monstrous strength he pulled Shoutei's shoulder from its socket._

_He screamed out in horror as his brother watched, his will softening with each scream._

"_This higher purpose, the will of Azariel, and my own will has helped me to push past what humans can imagine."_

_He picked Shoutei off the ground and pinned him to the wall, crushing his ribs._

_The old man brought his face close to Master Shoutei's "what do you think you've done today? You've just wasted dozens of lives. Mankind's time on this earth will end soon, and the world will be reborn, do you believe you've delayed this?"_

_Master Sensei was just about to jump through the wall. When his eyes came in contact with his brother's through the cracks in the wall, without saying a word his brother's eyes told Sensei what he had already known. He said a silent prayer backed away from the wall and solemnly headed to the ladder._

_He left just as the man smashed his fist into his brother's throat, crushing his windpipe. The brother landed on the ground gasping for air, his lungs filling with blood. A few minutes later the brother stopped moving his body motionless on the ground._

"_Master Olivetti" cried one of his men, "the oracle is dead, and we've found her body at the temple."_

"_Did you search her body?" He asked_

"_Yes Sir all we've found is this piece of paper with the initials R.S and V. C written on them._

"_Is that all?"_

"_Yes Sir, what do we do now we've searched the area and have found nothing."_

"_Do not worry, I believe Azariel will lead us in the right direction, he will bring us what we seek," Olivetti said as he walked away from Shoutei's body_

"_Now let us leave this foul country."_

"_Shall we take the oracle's body with us Master?", the man asked as he followed closely behind Olivetti._

_'No, in fact have the men burn this school to the ground."_

"_Yes sir."_

_Half an hour later when the last of them had gone Master Sensei moved from the shadows of the forest and stood in front of the flames that began to devour the school he had loved so much. Smoke rose high into the night sky, as he watched the flames dance mocking and taunting him for his weakness. He began to subconsciously weep, a cascade of memories flooded his mind all at once. He pushed the thoughts from his mind for now, he had to rebuild the school and create a new set of memories._

Yamanouchi Present day:

It had been awhile since those thoughts had visited Master Sensei, much had happened over the years. He had rebuilt the school as he had vowed, and he had made many wonderful memories with his new students. Three years ago the chosen had finally come to the school, and fate would one day make him return to receive the sword for good. But that day had come quicker than the Sensei had planed.

"So what will it be Sensei will you tell me what you know" said Fukushima dangling a sword in front of Sensei's eyes.

"Or will this get messy?"

"What is death but a passage to life"

"Wrong answer old one."

Fukushima swung the sword with all of his strength towards Master Sensei's neck.

"Wait, stop!" yelled out one of the students.

Fukushima stopped the sword as it approached Sensei's neck then he smiled. He headed towards the student who called out.

Grabbing the student by the collar he began to scream "what do you know?"

"Do you promise not to kill the master" the boy asked.

"Yes you have my word," said Fukushima.

"When he was here Stoppable san said he was from Middleton, Colorado in the United States.

Yori watched the scene from behind the wall, the same place Master Sensei had watched his brother battle years before. She had been told to come here by Master Sensei with a set of instructions for the Ron. She knew she should have left long ago but she was very concerned about the welfare of her classmates.

The boy who was still in Fukushima's grasp, turned to his master "I'm sorry Sensei, but I couldn't watch you die."

"Don't apologize, you talked because you're weak just like your master."

He pinned the boy to the ground "Now Sensei what will you do in turn for your pupil."

Master Sensei said nothing as Fukushima applied pressure to the boy's chest.

"What's the matter Sensei do you sense the power I have accumulated in such a short time, does it frighten you so, that you won't even help out your students."

Master Sensei again said nothing.

"Does the fact that you've been surpassed by a former student embarrass you so?"

"You are not the former student who will surpass, I believe you have already met that student" said Master Sensei coolly.

In a fit of rage, Fukushima sent the sword crashing down near the boy's face, causing the boy to faint. He rushed towards Sensei and kicked him in the face for the second time.

"That student as of right now is dead, he no longer matters now, theses men will see to it that he's dead."

"I must hurry to Ron kun" thought Yori "take care everyone" she said quietly as she ran towards the ladder.

"This isn't about him, this is about you and me. If you are so sure about my weakness, than prove it, prove that I'm weak."

Master Sensei again said nothing prompting Fukushima to hit him again. This caused the student's to scream out in anger.

"Fight me!" Screamed Fukushima at the top of his lungs.

One of the hooded men approached Fukushima.

"The girl is on the move" the man said.

"Excellent, don't follow her we'll just lose men for no reason, but tell the higher ups what we know" said Fukushima.

"Are you sure we shouldn't follow her?" the man inquired.

"No, she knows the woods around here more than any other, it would be tactical disadvantage. Anyway I want her to find Stoppable, if he manages to leave the U.S alive, it's given he'll come here. Then I'll have my revenge."

"Why would he come back here?" asked the man puzzled "anyone could tell this is trap."

"Because he'll come back to rescue this old fool and the rest" Fukushima said as he laughed "he has too, he's the chosen one."

* * *

Kim and Monique sat in the cafe, Ron was late and Monique's new boyfriend was in the bathroom.

"Well Kim what do you think about Mark."

"Monique he's a total fox," she answered.

"I know that's and he's not just eye candy either; we spent the whole day in the park talking about life. His words were like poetry Kim; we've been going out for only a few months now and I think he might be the one."

"THE one, Monique are you sure?"

"Yes Kim he's perfect, except for one thing"

"What is it, bad breath?"

"No it's no big really, but he has a fourteen month old daughter," Monique said sheepishly.

"Whoa, Monique that is the definition of big."

"Yeah, I was shocked at first. But she's cute you know. I'm sure we'll work things out, love conquers all they say. You've proved that anyway."

"It's a great feeling isn't, I'm so happy for you Monique".

"Well enough about me" said Monique "how are you dealing with your sitch?"

"And my sitch would be?" Said Kim as she took a sip of her water and looked away.

"Let me rephrase the question, how are you dealing with half of the girl's on campus throwing themselves at your fiancée ever since, we've come back from summer break."

"Really, I haven't noticed that" Kim said obviously lying.

" Kim, Ray Charles could have noticed the way those girls are snapping at Ron."

"Fine, yes I have noticed but, I don't really let it bother him. I don't think Ron has even noticed the attention he is getting" she said.

"You're right he does have a history of missing things like this" Monique said sighing "I guess his ignorance is your bliss."

"I already went through the jealously thing Monique, it doesn't look good on me. Besides our wedding is only three months away."

Ron suddenly darted into the cafe "hey girls the Ron man is here," he moved to the table kissed Kim and sat down next to her.

"So what's going on ladies?"

"You know Ron there's something different about you, it's like you have kind of glow around you."

"Ron looked at her surprised "that's weird Mo because Felix was just say--" he stopped talking as Mark returned from the bathroom.

"Mark this is Ron, Ron Mark," Monique said introducing her boyfriend.

Mark reminded Ron a little of Josh Mankey, but he was much taller and had brown hair and had on some snazzy looking glasses.

"So this is Mark huh; I've heard so much about you, a lot more than I wanted to know, but that's all right."

Mark laughed "same here, didn't I see you on the news the other day."

"Yeah I was, did they show me saving that little girl from the mutant ants" asked Ron.

"Actually, they showed a continuous loop of you jumping out of a burning building with you pants around your ankles."

Ron sat back in his seat disappointed "are they still showing that, it's been two months"

"Well you now what they say Ron there's no such thing as bad publicity" said Kim trying to cheer him up.

A few minutes later

"Hey KP how does it feel to be engaged to stud like me," said Ron as he was stuffing his face with food.

"Oh boy" whispered Monique to Kim "he knows."

"Luckily for you Kim" he continued "You've got the keys to my heart, but you better treat me right or some lucky lady may snatch me away" he said leaning back on his chair.

"Well it didn't take long for this to go to your head" she told him.

"Now Kim, I don't want you treating me like some kind of trophy husband, this has to be an equal marriage."

"Sure honey you know you're more than just a pretty face to me, too bad that's your best asset" she told him teasingly.

"Ouch Kim that was a low blow" Ron said smiling.

"Well Ron, since you haven't let the extra attention go to your head, I guess I should give you this" Monique pulled out a letter from her purse.

"It's a letter from my friend Chris on the debate team."

"My My, the ladies just can't get enough of the Ron man," then he stopped before opening the envelope completely.

"Monique" he said in a low voice "you do mean Christina from the debate team right?"

Monique just smiled at him.

"Don't play me Mo."

"Come on just open the letter" said Kim.

"You're a little too excited about this Kim" Ron said suspiciously, but then he gave in and opened the envelope.

He pulled out an index card and began to read, "Oh this is pretty steamy, and there's a picture too, lets take a look."

Ron looked at the picture for a second then quickly shoved it back into the envelope, "alright that's enough off that, why don't we order some more food."

"Hold on Ron" said Kim as she grabbed the envelope from Ron.

"Oh my" she exclaimed as she stares at the picture, then she handed it to Monique and Mark.

"Is that whipped cream?" Asked Mark in disbelief.

"I hope so" Ron said looking paler than usual.

"Is that a ribbon tied to his--".

"It sure is Kim" exclaimed Monique, the whole table burst out laughing.

"Alright that's enough of that, put the pic away and let us never speak of this again" Ron told them.

"What's the matter you should be flattered Ron," Kim told him, barely keeping in her laughter.

"You're right KP I should be happy someone is willing to show me something R rated".

She stopped laughing and stared at him in mock shock "is that a shot?"

"Maybe."

"You guys are too much" said Mark still laughing.

They finished their meal an hour later, which was then followed up by an additional twenty minutes of high school memories, tales of Kim and Ron's best adventures and joking around. As Mark leaves for the bathroom again Ron follows him in.

"So" said Ron using the urinal beside him "what school are you going to Mark."

"Oh I just started my third year at Upperton U" he replied.

"Wow Upperton, that's a nice school."

After a few seconds of silence then the conversation continues.

"Monique is a nice girl isn't she"

"Yeah she is, I really like her" Mark responded.

"I think she really digs you too, she seems really happy. Yeah, Monique and I have been friends for a long time. I like seeing her happy and I hope she stays happy."

Mark stays silent for a minute then he smiles "I get it, protecting your friend. Well you've got nothing to worry about, I really like Mo"

"That's great" said Ron "Then his face turns deadly serious "if you hurt her I'll make you sorry."

Mark took a step back, shocked by Ron's sudden change.

Then a large smile came to Ron's face "don't worry man, I'm just playing you"

Mark started laughing too "man you had me going there."

"You should have seen the look on your face" said Ron as he washed his hands at the sink.

Both couples walked out of the cafe holding each other's hands. It had been a wonderful afternoon so far and they wanted to enjoy it the best they could.

"Well what do you think about them Ron" Kim asked as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Mark's a cool guy, I think those two will be okay" he answered.

"Kim do you notice anything different about me?"

"What why?" she asked

"I don't know I feel different, like I've changed somehow."

"Well" said Kim, she looked him up and down "you've got a little bit more muscular" she told him.

"Oh you've noticed."

"Noticed and liked" she said "But I don't want you trying to change yourself, I love you just the way you are."

"Oh I know that KP, I just still can't believe it".

They walked along silently, Ron wanted to tell her about the dreams he'd been having lately but decided not too. He didn't want to destroy the moment, He squeezed her hand lightly and smiled when she squeezed back.

"Life is good" he thought as rain clouds darkened the sky overhead.

* * *

Victor heard a slight rapping on his door, it was one of the few times he had allowed himself to sleep and he was already being disturbed.

"Come in" he said while continuing to lie on his bed.

A man wearing the typical robe of the organization came in through the door already bowing.

"Master our Japanese sect has confirmed the location of the other chosen."

"Excellent" said Malak "where is he?"

"We've confirmed he is Ronald Stoppable of Middleton Colorado, will you be traveling there sir?"

"No there is no need for me to do this personally, have someone else handle it".

"Yes Sir" said the subordinate as he made his way to the door.

"Hold on" Malak called after him "tell them not to take him lightly, he's been blessed, he's no ordinary man".

"I will remember Sir" he said then walked out

Victor closed his eyes again, letting the sleep take him.

_No, Please stop, No, leave me alone. Victor help_ _me help me please ,_ a girl's voice screamed in the darkness.

Victor awoke abruptly in pool of sweat, he reached to the drawer next to his bed, and pulled out a small bottle filled with pills. He shoved a handful into his mouth and swallowed them whole without the use of water. His eyes were bloodshot, his skin became pale as if he had just stared into the face of his worst nightmare. It had been so long since he had those dreams, why did they come back now he thought. Turning his body to the side he found an old photo album lying next to him.

"Was I reading this"? He asked himself, "when did I bring this out?"

He reached for the album but it fell to the ground and opening up to a random page. Unknowingly he found himself staring at the page from his bed, it contained one only picture, the picture of a red haired girl around the age of thirteen. She was smiling, a smile that had haunted his dreams for years.

"Katherine" he said without realizing it.

He extended himself over so he could close the album when a small droplet of liquid fell onto the page. He looked up to see if his ceiling was leaking. He found nothing, then instinctively touched his cheek and felt the trail of moisture. He picked up the album and found that the picture was pockmarked with the residue of dried teardrops.

Angrily Malak hurled the album towards the only mirror in the room shattering it. He turned to a picture of his mentor/father Olivetti.

"Father why did you leave me, I'm not strong enough yet. I'm not strong enough" he cried on his knees.


	5. Heaven help us

I'm sorry if so far this story doesn't have enough Kim and Ron stuff, but this is going to be a long story. So I have to layout the characters first. So bear with me folks it's only going to get better. You'll get plenty of Kim and Ron soon.

* * *

New York City 

Daniel Graham glanced at his watch, as he walked through the busy streets of Manhattan. He was a few minutes early for his appointment, he smiled, and it was the perfect opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. This wasn't his first trip to New York, and it wouldn't be the last. It was a perfect place for someone like him. He had always thought of himself as an observer of life. In this city he enjoyed just sitting down and watching the lives of others. He separated himself from the world as if he was observing a reality T.V show that was made just for him. The lives of others fascinated him more than his own, he watched as the people passed by in slow motion before his eyes. Sitting on a street bench, he pulled out the headphones to his MP3 player, adding music to the mix further separated him from reality, creating a surreal mix of sounds, colors, shapes, and faces blending together in his mind.

Just as he began to enjoy himself a limousine pulled up to the curb in front of him.

"Just in time" he muttered under his breath, "didn't even get a chance to talk to any girls."

He opened the door to the limo and entered, he found himself sitting across from two older gentlemen. The two men wore clothing similar to Catholic Cardinals except that theirs clothes were completely dark, not a dash of additional coloring could be found on either of them. They both wore golden chains with a small cross dangling from the end.

The older of the two, carried a stern look on his face. He had the look of a man who hadn't laughed in years, his life was all about the business at hand, and today was no different. The second man had nothing but a tired look on his face.

"So, what are we up to tonight gentleman?" said Daniel looking at the two.

"Where is your cross boy?" Asked the older man.

Daniel sighed; reached towards his collar, and pulled out his chain from underneath his shirt.

"I take it we're not going clubbing tonight?" He asked after several seconds of silence from the two men.

"Daniel please apologize to the Minister Moriales, for addressing him in such a manner" the tired old man managed to force out.

Daniel gazed at the man, he felt the urge to do the complete opposite but something about the old man eyes, kept Daniel from doing so. Those eyes had always kept him on a short leash.

"I'm sorry Minister, if I had shown any sign of disrespect."

A scowl crept to Moriales's bearded face as he stared at Daniel; he handed a newspaper to the man sitting next to him.

"Father Benedict, please inform Mister Graham on the conversation we've just had."

Father Benedict began to leaf through paper, stopped on a particular page, and picked up a small shot glass, of which he quickly consumed its contents.

"Should a priest be drinking like that?" Remarked Daniel.

"Daniel my boy" Benedict began "how did your mission go today?"

Daniel looked out of his window, ignoring the question "wow check out these two beauties, wouldn't mind some of that."

"Daniel"

"Yes Father Benedict" replied Daniel rubbing his eyes with his index and middle fingers.

"Your mission did it go well?"

Daniel sighed again, he knew where this conversation was going, he had prepared for it, and there was no reason to keep avoiding it.

"Yes the mission went well, everything went according to plan. I was in and out in a few minutes and no one saw me."

"And what were the objectives of your mission Daniel?"

"To eliminate the pagans."

"Did you eliminate them Daniel?"

"Yes, I believe I did."

Benedict handed Daniel the newspaper, Daniel accepted it and began to read, while keeping an eye on the scowling Moriales. The newspaper featured an article about a gang shooting in the Bronx.

"Gang shooting" Daniel thought in his mind, although he detested having his jobs blamed on innocent people, he knew he didn't have a say in the matter.

"So what, like I said the mission went along without a hitch," Daniel said as he handed the newspaper back to Benedict.

Benedict brushed it off, "continue to read son, especially the last sentence of the third paragraph. In fact read that sentence out loud."

Daniel pulled the newspaper back and started to read " miraculously the only survivors of the shooting, were three young children, ages five, eight, ten and thirteen."

"Can you tell me the summary of your mission again Daniel?" Asked Moriales

Daniel wished they wouldn't beat around the bush like this. He knew why they were angry, but he would continue to play along.

"The mission was a preemptive strike, our intelligence had suspected the targets were planning attacks on churches around the country. So they could reveal the fallibility of the church and show the world their true power. My job was to eliminate them before they had the chance. As instructed I eliminated all those I saw as a threat."

"That was not you job, you were supposed to eliminate them all" the Minister replied.

"So what I'm a child killer now?"

"Those agnostic children have been tainted by their parents, you should have done your job."

"They were children Minister, they should not be punished because of their families' sins," said Daniel brushing off Moriales's scolding.

"Yes they were children, children who may grow up wanting revenge."

"But the paper said it was a gang shooting" Daniel replied

"So, then they will spend their lives seeking revenge on people who don't exist."

"But I..." Daniel stammered, for one of the few times in his life, he didn't have a quick comeback.

"And what if they choose to continue their parents' legacy, those children would have been better off dead."

"Everyone deserves a second chance" said Daniel softly.

Why didn't you as you were told, you are member of the Templar Knights, do you know how many times you have disgraced yourself like this? You are skilled sweeper, but you are losing favor with our superiors" said a heated Moriales.

"If you've forgotten, my name is Daniel."

"What is that supposed to mean"? Asked Moriales.

"If I may interrupt Minister" Father Benedict piped up "the Biblical name of Daniel means God is my judge."

Moriales turned bright red "that may be, but while you're alive and a Templar Knight, you answer to me. And take off those damn headphones, while I'm talking to you."

"Oh" said Daniel "I thought we were done Minister."

"You are a too cocky for your own good boy. That's why as of today you are no longer a sweeper."

"What oh come on, you aren't serious" Daniel was obviously shocked by this statement, sweeping was the only thing he knew how to do properly.

"Has there been a time where I wasn't serious?"

Daniel stared at him for a brief second "you can't do this, I'm the best sweeper you've got, and you know it."

"Don't raise your voice with me boy, maybe if you had let me finish," Moriales pulled a large envelope from his briefcase.

"This is your new assignment, you'll be acting as a bodyguard."

"Bodyguard?" Daniel screamed out.

"Although you are serious need of an attitude adjustment, your skills never fail to impress. This is an important mission, so this time there can be no mistakes. Do I make myself clear?"

Daniel opened the envelope and pulled out a picture that featured a young freckled face blond.

"That is who you'll be watching over, nothing can happen to him, do you hear me, or it will be your head on the platter."

"Just my luck it had to be a dude; so why is this guy so important?"

"That is classified information, just do your job."

Daniel looked from the Minister than to Benedict, once again he decided it would be best to remain docile.

" Middleton, Colorado huh" he said continuing to read. "So what's the HC ratio in Middleton."

"What is an HC ration?" Asked Moriales, as he turned towards Benedict.

Benedict groaned as he reached into his pocket for a piece of paper " HC stands for Hot chicks, He's asking for the ratio of hot chicks to men" he said as he handed the paper to Daniel.

"Don't tell me you had our intelligence, calculate that rubbish," groaned Moriales

"Nice; four to one, this town is crawling with beauties" said Daniel excitedly, "well this mission might not be the huge drag I thought it would be."

"What is the meaning of this Benedict"?

"Well Minister statistics show he is more efficient when the ratio is favorable."

"I can't believe this" said Moriales

"Middleton here I come" smiled Daniel ignoring the Minister's groans.

"Alright this my stop" Moriales told them "remember don't screw up again Daniel" he said as he left the limo.

When the limo started moving, Daniel moved to the seat, next to Father Benedict.

"Well that went well" he said.

"Daniel, explain to me why do you continue to enrage the minister?"

Daniel looked at him surprised "you didn't expect me to kill any kids did you?"

"It was your job to eliminate them all."

"Look I don't have any qualms about what I do. I kill people, but I don't kill children. If you can't understand that, then I quit."

Benedict decided it would be best to drop the questions "you have been a thorn in my side, ever since I found you, how did a raise such a degenerate."

Daniel looked at the old man, he was the only the person in the world he ever felt a real connection too. Everyone else was just another face to Daniel, another speck of dust in an imperfect world. As far as he was concerned father Benedict was his savior.

"After sixteen years I think I know when you're blowing hot air Father" he said as they stared each other down.

Suddenly Benedict began to chuckle lightly, "he was pretty pissed off as they say."

"They guy has had it in for me since day one, what does he have against me?"

Benedict remained silent for a few seconds "I wouldn't know" he said softly. "What I do know is that you have to take this mission seriously, so you can redeem yourself in the Minister's eyes."

"Don't worry as long as I don't have to whack any children, I'm your man".

"Rumor around the order is that this mission may affect the church as we know it" said Father Benedict.

"Affect the church? That's interesting."

* * *

The next day: 

Ron took a deep breath and drew the morning mist into his body, it was just a few minutes before dawn and surprisingly he found himself jogging. For the past few nights he had found that he couldn't sleep for long periods of time. If it wasn't weird chaotic dreams, it was the fact that he was too hyper to sleep. He decided to jog this morning, and maybe head back for a quick nap before class.

"I guess it's about time to I return" he told himself.

As he passed by the parking lot of a supermarket, he caught the sight of a young girl waving at him from the corner of his eye.

"This is going to be a problem" he said to himself, as he waved back.

He was nothing but loyal, but he knew the urge to see if he could actually get away with it, would be always be in the back of his head. After all he was a healthy male, it wasn't a case of if he loved Kim, and it was a question of if he could control himself. The fact that he was thinking like this shocked him greatly, he wondered if it was because the wedding was a few months away.

"Damn, I better not be getting cold fe-- ooof", his thoughts were uninterrupted when he bumps into and old man, causing the man too drop his groceries.

"Oh man I'm sorry man" said Ron as he began to pick up the fallen groceries.

After he returned everything to the old man's grocery bag, he apologized again.

"I'm really sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it son, you looked like you've a lot on your mind. It happens to the best of us."

"I'll tell you what, I'm in a hurry but what the hell, let me help you carry these home," Ron said taking the grocery bag.

"Well that's mighty fine of you uh."

"The name's Ronald".

"Well Ronald you can call me Frank."

"So Frank, how far away is your house?"

"Not that far, just follow me."

Ron walked behind the old man, something about the old man greatly intrigued Ron. He had familiar warmth to him, like his grandfather. If he didn't know any better he would have thought this man was his grandfather.

"You're an interesting young man Ronald."

"Hmm" said Ron breaking his thoughts "how so?"

"Not many people would help out an old man when they're in a hurry."

"Oh that well, it's not big."

"No big?"

"No big means that it's not a big deal."

Frank laughed "you crazy kids are always coming up with new ways to express yourselves."

"Actually I help people all of the time, you might have seen me on T.V" he said excitedly.

"Sorry I don't recall ever seeing you before, but I don't watch much T.V."

Ron continued to watch the mannerisms of the man, it was a dead on impersonation of his grandfather. And the old man clothes he wore, were exactly what he would have worn.

"You know something Frank, honestly part of the reason I'm helping you is that you remind of my grandfather."

"Is that so; is your grandfather still alive?"

"No, actually he passed away not too long ago," said Ron a hint of sadness resonating in his voice.

"You must have loved him very much."

"Yeah I did, even those days when he thought I was his granddaughter. It got awkward sometimes but I put up with it. I really admired my grandfather, he always knew exactly what he wanted and took it." He sighed "I wouldn't mind him calling me Rhonda one more time, if I could see him again."

Ron looked up at Frank "I can't believe I told you that, only one other person knows about that."

Frank laughed again, "you know, I don't believe it's because I resemble your grandfather, that you're helping me out. I think you're generally a good person.

Ron thought about this for a moment "I've learned that people will forget what you say, and they forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. So I've recently centered how I deal with people using this idea, positivity is the key."

"It seems like you pretty wise son, a lot wiser then people twice your age."

This time it was Ron's turn to laugh "If you knew anything about me you wouldn't be calling me wise, I'm usually lucky if I survive some of the decisions I make."

"Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it," Frank replied.

"Nice quote, was that from Star Wars?"

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to know what was bothering you earlier" said Frank.

"What is this a therapy session?"

"No this is just two men talking about life" replied Frank.

"Alright, well first of all, I'm getting married in a couple of months."

"Well congratulations son."

"Thank you, unfortunately I've been feeling some anxiety lately. The closer the day comes the more pressure I feel. Now I'm getting some extra "attention" and that further complicates things."

"Yes, that sounds like a problem, but having cold feet is normal."

"When I decided to propose to her, I had barely survived my last mission. I thought it was what I wanted, but now I'm not so sure. In fact that's the main problem, I don't know what I want. Lately I've been feeling like I should be doing something important, something big. But I have no idea what that is."

"Well here is a piece of advice my grandpapy always told me. This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to control your own life, no one else can do it for you."

"Now your grandpapy was a wise man" said Ron smiling.

"Well this is my place" said Frank pointing to a house they had been standing in front of for well over five minutes.

"Wow, well here you go" he said handing Frank the grocery bag "you know I don't usually spill my life story to strangers, but talking to you was somewhat soothing. But I guess this is good bye."

"Don't worry about it Ronald, I'm sure will meet again somehow."

"I'll be looking forward too it, I've got a lot of issues" replied Ron.

"Oh I'm sorry, I seem to have dropped a piece of paper on the ground, would you mine grabbing it for me" said Frank bringing Ron's attention to a leaflet on the ground behind them.

"Sure" said Ron turning around.

As he bends over to pick the paper off the ground, he hears the sound of fluttering wings, abnormally large wings.

"Did you hear that---" he said turning around only to find an empty space behind him.

"Frank, where did you go?"

Ron looked up at the house as, a man exited it.

"Uh is Frank inside, I've got his paper," Ron called out to the man.

The man looked at Ron puzzled, "sorry kid, this is my house, nobody named Frank lives here."

"What, are you sure?"

"I'm positive man, no one named Frank lives here," said the man as he walked past Ron.

Ron looked at the leaflet in his hand and it contained just one sentence.

"One person with courage makes a majority."

"Weird" Ron thought to himself as he began to jog back to the University.

* * *

Victor sat in his room, alone once again. He was angry with himself, he wasn't supposed to still be this way. He was the angel of truth, how could he lead the destruction of men, when he couldn't handle a distant memory. 

He became fully alert, when he sensed someone was nearing his room. The person knocked lightly on his door.

"Who is it?" Malak asked

"It's me Jonathan" said the voice behind the door.

Jonathan, one of the few friends Victor had known for most of his life, Jonathan would follow Victor to hell and back.

"Come in."

Jonathan looked around his shoulder, silently entering the dimly lit room, carrying a small bag with him.

"How goes the hunt for the other" Victor asked.

"It's going well Victor, we should be making our move soon," he lowered his voice "I've bought what you've asked."

He pulled out a bottle of pills from his bag and handed them to Victor.

"Thank you" Victor said as he ripped the cap off the bottle, "it would be to our disadvantage if the men found that, their leader was weak."

Jonathan surveyed the room, as Victor shoveled the pills into his mouth. He noticed the broken glass on the floor from the night before, and found the old photo album sitting on the floor.

"If I may ask, Victor what caused these attacks, to return after all these years?"

Victor swallows more of the pills "Katherine" he said quickly.

Jonathan stopped short, it had been years since that name had escaped Victor's lips.

"It's alright Victor, those memories should, just fuel your desire, use them as motivation."

Victor leaned over his dresser as if he was going to vomit, "I don't need for those memories to fuel me because, I'm no longer affected by them."

"Of course they don't Victor, but even I lie awake at night thinking about the past, and my blood boils whenever I--."

Malak threw a punch at his friend, the punched missed by inches and his fist went through the wall near Jonathan's face. Jonathan gulped as he realized how close he had come to death.

"Master Olivetti has given me the power to overcome all obstacles," said Malak through his teeth.

Removing his hand from the wall, he turned his back to his friend, "I'm sorry old friend, I..I just; bring someone to clean this mess" Malak ordered.

"Yes sir" said Jonathan as he left the room.

"I don't understand, I should have moved on, I ended this, years ago" said Malak remembering the night he had been born.

_Three years ago:_

_Olivetti gathered his men, twenty in all around him, as dark clouds gathered over head, a thunderstorm was brewing. _

"_This is a momentous occasion, we shall witness the power that Azariel, has given us. Victor, come here my boy" said Olivetti._

_Victor appeared from behind the crowd, and approached his adoptive father._

"_Victor this is what you were born for my son, In this town is the source of your nightmares, the cause of the rift in your soul preventing you from gaining true power."_

"_What do you mean father?" Asked Victor._

"_Evil enters the world like a needle and spreads like an oak tree, the roots of this tree has spread throughout the globe and is slowly strangling the earth. The only way to save the earth is to destroy the seeds of this tree, which lie in the hearts of all men."_

_He hands Victor a small knife "Let us see if you have the power to cleanse this world."_

_Victor grabbed the knife, placed it in his pants and headed towards his target. Traveling through these slums, brought chills to him. This was the place of his nightmares, a hell hole that still haunted his dreams. He continued to walk down the streets, when he passed old Mr. Blum's store. Mr. Blum and his family were killed when a car bomb blew up in front of the store, Victor remembered screaming as Blum's daughter's leg landed a few feet from him. She had been sitting on the steps in front of the store._

_He passed by theEastern Methodist __hospital, where most of his former friends had been treated for various injuries. In one instance, two brothers Peter and Marcellus Compton, were shot in the legs. Frankie was shot in the knee; Anthony in the upper leg and the groin. The last he heard was that the latter was in critical condition at the hospital. Victor wondered how he survived growing up in such a pit.Maybe once upon a time the fightingin the city had been for a righteous reason.__Now it seemed to be a war of the punks, not much different than the gang wars in rough American cities. _

_Hundreds of memories flooded his mind at once, especially memories of Katherine. No he had to stop, these thoughts, they only weakened him. He needed to be strong to prove himself. He stopped in front of his target. The Melwess police station looked worse than a medieval fortress. It was surrounded by concrete block barriers in front of the fortress-like walls. He felt his hatred rise at the men who inhabited the station, they had ruined his life by taking away something very precious to him. Now his father had given him the opportunity for revenge._

_Victor wondered how he would get inside, when a man called out to him. _

"_Hey are you the kid Sam said was coming?" the man asked he approached Victor._

_Thinking quickly Victor nodded to the man. _

"_Alright kid I'm going to bring you to Jim; just follow me."_

_Victor nodded again, following the man inside. Through the halls of the station, Victor picked up bits and pieces of the officer's conversations. Many of them seemed to be having a merry time._

"_So this is what I tell her, you know it'll be five years in the can for you for tricking. Plus you're family will be disgraced when they hear about this. So she starts crying and begging me right and I says to her get this, I says well if you give mesome serviceon the house I'll let you go. Let me tell you I had good time that night." The man said laughing._

"_No wait tell them the best part" said another officer._

"_Oh right" said the first officer "I had her busted again the next day" he said laughing._

_Victor had always known this was the most corrupted station in Europe __but he didn't realize how bad it was. He passed by an open room with two more officers chatting._

"_So what happened" one of the officers said._

"_Well what could I do" said the other " I had to bury the body in--' he stopped when he saw Victor watching. _

"_Piss off brat" he said before he closed the door in Victor's face._

"_Come on boy, move your ass" called out the man Victor was supposed to follow._

_He began to worry, he had no idea what to do, and the corruption of the station had boiled his blood. But he didn't know how to proceed, and what would happen when they found out that he didn't belong here._

_Victor followed the man into an office at the end of a deserted hallway._

"_Hey Jim this is the kid" said the man_

"_Thanks Billy, alright kid, give me the stuff" said another man who sat behind a desk, he talked to Victor without looking up from his paperwork._

"_Stuff?" _

_The man looked up "yeah the stuff."_

"_I'm sorry" said Victor panicking " I don't have any stuff"_

"_Don't screw with me kid, where are the drugs?"_

"_But aren't you cops?" Victor told them weakly._

_The two men looked at each other, and started laughing ._

"_The government doesn't give a rat's ass about this town, so why should we" the man behind the desk scoffed._

_As the men continued to laugh, strange sounds came from the floor above them. Victor noticed the noise quickly, every other sound in the room was blocked out as he focused on the noise. It was the sound of young girl moaning._

"_No please, stop don't" the women's voice penetrated Victor's soul._

_More suppressed memories forced their way into his head, every nightmare he had since leaving the town returned to his mind at once. He began to feel dizzy, he couldn't breathe, and he wanted to cry._

_No, Please stop, No, leave me alone. Victor help me, help me please. _

"_Looks like the captain's having a good time" remarked Danny and the men starting laughing again._

_The laughter, it made things worse for Victor it all came back to him, the screams, and the laughter, the loud ear splitting gunshot, the blood and the hatred._

_Victor dropped to his knees when he heard the distinct sound of fluttering wings._

"_What the ell is wrong with you kid' said Danny. _

_When he attempted to pick Victor up , Victor pulled out his knife and sank it into Danny's calf. Danny screamed in horror as Victor pulled the knife out. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jim attempt to move, like a dart Victor threw the knife and with a loud thud it connected, with Jim's skull killing him instantly. Victor reached across the desk, and pulled the knife from the man's head._

_He turned to see Danny scrambled across the floor and pull out a pistol. As he aimed the gun, Victor realized he now longer felt fear, he felt nothing but anger. The world moved in slow motion for him, he could see the fear and Danny's eyes and it gave him strength._

_With lightning speed he closed the gap between him and Danny. And in one swift motion he grabbed the gun from Danny's hand and used the knife to cut his throat, as the body dropped to the floor motionless. Victor marveled at the power he had just unleashed, he had taken their lives with ease. He finally understood his purpose life, he smiled as opened the door to the office. He would bring heaven to earth by unleashing hell._

_The captain stood over the man he had held captive. The captain was a tall lanky man, but he was a master of intimidation, a skill he used often._

"_Where's my money man, it's been two weeks" said the captain._

"_Don't worry, I'll have it soon" said the other man sweat pouring down the back of his neck._

_Suddenly from behind the doors came a loud scream,_

"_What was that?" Asked the sweaty man._

_The captain thought about the scream for a moment "Ah the boys are probably watching a horror movie again."_

_He turned back to the man "you have wife don't you?"_

"_Yes I do" gulped the man._

_The captain walked towards a couch where a half naked young girl lay, clearly stoned._

_"Wake up ya nasty bitch" he told her then turned back to the man "watch this; if you don't bring me the money tomorrow this will be your wife."_

_He slapped her across the face, and attempted to force himself on her, which caused her too scream out. Suddenly an officer flew thought the door shattering it too pieces. The officer rolled across the ground three times then stopped motionless._

_The captain looked towards the door, only to find Victor staring him down._

"_What the hell" cried the captain as he reached for his gun._

_Before he could do so, Victor was upon him, he grabbed the captain's arm and snapped it with little effort._

"_Who are you" the captain screamed holding on to his arm._

"_You don't remember me Mooney" said Victor. "Allow me to re introduce myself" _

_He placed his hand over the captain's face, using his power he transferred his memories into the man's mind in a matter of seconds._

_Mooney turned pale as he attempted to pull himself from Victor's grasp. Victor tossed the man like a doll into the nearest wall shattering his collar bone. The sweaty man and the girl took the opportunity to flee._

"_It can't be" the captain cried "you're dead."_

_Victor approached him, using all of his force he kicked Mooney in the chest, cracking his ribs. Victor picked him off the ground and pinned him to the wall._

"_Have mercy" Mooney cried._

"_Did you show her any mercy, Mooney. Have you ever shown mercy?"_

"_I'm sorry" Mooney said as blood spilled from his mouth._

"_It's too late, Mooney I hope you've enjoyed your life."_

_Mooney began to mutter a prayer which further enraged Victor._

"_I want give you time to ask for forgiveness", he focused his energy into his hand. Using a power he did not know he had, he grabbed Mooney's he quickly slammed his fist into Mooney's throat. Mooney fell to the ground gasping for air , he twitched along the ground for a few minutes before he lay still._

_Minuets later Victor walked out of the station covered in blood, as he stepped out it began to rain. He watched as the rain washed the blood from his body and disappeared into the earth. He walked for a few minutes in a daze until Olivetti and his men stepped from the shadows to greet him. Victor walked over to Olivetti and dropped to his knees in front of him saying nothing. Olivetti smiled and turned to the men._

"_Do you not see, he is the one sent by Azariel to free this world from evil" he told them._

_Moving towards Victor, Olivetti bit his finger and drew blood. Using this blood he placed a mark on Victor's forehead._

"_With the power of Azariel I anoint you Malak, the angel of truth, the one blessed by the heavens."_

_Then Olivetti bowed, bringing his face to the ground. You will be the one to save this world. All the other men followed Olivetti's example and did the same, Victor looked up and the rain wash over his face. Thunderclaps roared across the skies, but to him they sounded like applause._

Malak stood in his room, thinking that Master Olivetti had left him too soon. He did not know if he could carry the torch alone. No, he pushed these thoughts out of his mind. Just as he feared, these memories were creating seeds of doubt. If he couldn't sleep than he would train, he would not disappoint his father, or Azariel.

* * *

Ron walked into his dorm after spending some time with Kim. Felix was already asleep, and so was Rufus. Ron moved towards his phone and tuned on his answering machine. His mother had called. 

"Ron I was just calling to ask if you got the box of cookies I sent. Oh and I you told us not send you any money but we thought you could use some spending money".

Ron chuckled as he started taking off his clothes, typical mom he thought.

"Oh and we've sent out more invitations to the wedding dear, the whole family should have one by the end of the week".

The wedding was a couple of months away, thought Ron. And didn't the bride and groom send the invitation.

"Okay we'll leave you alone now college man, say hello to Kimmie and Rufus, hugs and kisses bye bye baby".

Ron smiled again as he got into bed, he didn't exactly want what he wanted out of life, but until then he would just enjoy the ride.

* * *

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